The author had the chance to go hands on with the new Beretta APX 9mm pistol at a recent writer event and put 1,000 rounds through the pistol in two days.
For more information, visit winthefight.com.
To purchase a Beretta pistol on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?T=beretta<id-all=1&as=730&cid=76&ns=0&numberperpage=50&.
Two weeks ago, GunsAmerica got the invite to attend the Beretta Tactical Summit hosted at The O’Gara Group training facility in Virginia. The choice of venue was a deliberate step by Beretta as they aggressively step back into the tactical market, and featured toys from across the Beretta line. It was a really nice change from usual product releases, and the facility offered a chance to really wring out the new products. We had to hold off publishing due to an embargo on one of Beretta’s new offerings, but finally, its day has come.
The new Beretta APX pistol is a striker-fired, ultra-modern modular pistol that has a 17+1 capacity. Image courtesy of manufacturer.
Star of the Show
The star of the show was clearly the new APX pistol. This pistol has a bit of a history already, so some readers may already be hitting us in the comments that it isn’t new. It is true that there has been a lot of buzz about this particular pistol for a while now, but we appear to be at the point where the rubber hits the road on the product here in the United States.
It is thought that the APX was most likely Beretta’s entry into the XM17 Modular Handgun System Competition, first solicited in 2011, and finally realized in 2015. Beretta has been talking about a U.S. consumer release since at least 2015 if you check the interwebs, and apparently, this pistol actually has been available outside the U.S. in the last few years.
The grip frame of the APX has integral finger grooves as well as interchangeable back straps. Image courtesy of manufacturer.
SPECS
- Chambering: 9mm (.40 S&W available soon)
- Barrel: 4.25 inches
- OA Length: 7.5 inches
- Weight: 26.8 ounces
- Grips: Polymer, integral
- Sights: Three-dot, white
- Action: Striker fired
- Finish: Matte-black
- Capacity: 17+1 (9mm)
- MSRP: $575
The APX is a striker-fired, polymer-framed, modular handgun. It features a serious engineering change (and similar to that of the earlier Pico and Nano pistols—see our full review of the Nano pistol here: https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/beretta-nano-micro-9mm-pocket-pistol-new-gun-review/ and the Pico pistol here: https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/beretta-pico-finally-new-gun-review/) that is becoming more popular these days; only the trigger group/sub-chassis is serialized. With add-on components, your one serialized part can be a full-sized, a compact—whatever you like. It comes in four colors at release time: Black, green, tan, and of course, gray. Beretta doesn’t plan on robbing you if you want a new color of frame; they are planned to retail at around $50. This is a godsend to any of us that have ever possibly gotten carried away on a soldering iron stipple job, to find we had destroyed our $500 gun.
The gun features interchangeable back straps to fit a variety of hands, available in three included sizes—small, medium and large. Changing out the back strap is a bit more involved than other pistols, as it requires tools. I don’t see this as a negative, however. Once you figure out the back strap you like, how often (if ever) are you going to remove it again? The back strap also features a fairly aggressive texture, which I liked.
The pistol features a polymer frame and a double-action-only-style, striker-fired system of operation. Image courtesy of manufacturer.
The event allowed the shooters to put the pistols through their paces with some rigorous training.
The overall grip of the gun is quite small. I went up to the large insert and wish it had an XL. Most shooters, however, will probably find the gun fits well. Moreso than most pistols I have shot, the grip insert has a huge impact on how well you can run the gun. I need more testing time, but I assume this has a lot to do with the geometry of the grip. It has been streamlined to a point that with the smaller inserts, my support hand gets almost zero purchase on the frame. Adding the “large” insert was like having an entirely different gun, and it shot quite well. The magazine release is teardrop shaped, which adds some real estate to what you can press under stress to drop the mag, but no so obtrusive as to cause accidental releases. It worked flawlessly and is reversible with simple needle nosed pliers. The slide release catch is ambidextrous, rounding out the controls of the pistol.
Like the earlier Beretta Nano and Pico pistols, the APX features a serial numbered sub-chassis that is the “firearm,” which allows you to swap out the grip frame for ones in different sizes and colors. Image courtesy of manufacturer.
The big question for anyone trying to break into the striker-fired market has to be the trigger. If you come to the party with a bad trigger these days, you might as well not come at all. I am happy to report that the new APX has a good trigger. I am looking forward to shooting it next to other plastic pistols for an apples-to-apples comparison, but it seems to be a winner. It will at least hold its own, if not outshine some of the competition. There is a small amount of take-up, followed by a crisp break, which is how I prefer a pistol trigger. I didn’t have a trigger gauge with me, but Beretta is advertising a 6.5-lb. pull weight. Thanks to some creative engineering, though, it feels a lot closer to 4.
The first thing you will notice when you touch the trigger is how wide it is. This isn’t exactly rocket science, it goes all the way back to the Colt Gold Cup trigger. All other things being equal, a wider trigger will feel lighter to pull. On the American version, you will also notice it is a flat -faced race gun style trigger. I am not as convinced this decreases “felt” trigger pull, but I don’t see it as a negative either. The trigger has an audible and tactile reset point, if that matters to your style of shooting.
The slide incorporated the single best cocking serrations I have ever seen, including custom guns. Big, aggressive, and hard to miss, this is a wonder of CNC machining. They aren’t so sharp as to be painful, but they have some bite. This is so well done it is hard to screw up on purpose. It doesn’t matter if your hands are coated in deer guts and Astroglide. If you touch that slide, you’re racking it, end of story. As my old friend Justin Dial (EAG contracted instructor for the summit) says, “If this slide was available aftermarket for your favorite gun, you would want to buy it.” Absolutely true, this was my favorite part of the gun.
The author really liked the cocking serrations on the slide, as well as the trigger pull on the pistol. Image courtesy of manufacturer.
The sights are dovetailed in, front and rear, which makes aftermarket support easy. Unlike some guns though, you won’t need to immediately change these. Beretta put some thought into the sights, and a tritium night option should be available soon. They are a three-dot affair, and steel instead of plastic. The front sight is narrower than you might be accustomed to, but it does make the front fast to acquire. The rear features a shelf in the front, which makes one-hand manipulations much easier and more reliable.
One of the first questions that many people will have about this pistol concerns the magazine. Is it backwards compatible with other Beretta platforms, or is it entirely new? We have all been rather spoiled in the rifle arena by the fairly new phenomenon that every new rifle accepts AR pattern magazines. Beretta chose to make this APX platform magazine entirely new, which has a small trade off. No, any other magazines in your inventory will not work. The good news is, now we have a magazine designed around a gun, not a gun designed around a magazine. The new mags are steel with a polymer basepad, built for durability. You will also notice a triangle-shaped cut out on either side of the magazine well, with matching polymer triangles on the magazine. This is to ensure that in the event of a hung magazine, you have plenty of real estate to rip it out. All in all, I liked the new magazines, and spares are reasonably priced at $35.
During the summit, we actually shot this pistol quite a bit and ran it through drills under EAG’s guidance. This gave quite a bit more appreciation for the pistol that the usual writer’s get-together. I ran close to 1,000 rounds over two days and had no malfunctions. The pistol has a low bore axis and is a joy to shoot. We have seen some failures recently in the polymer pistol market, but I think this will be a winner.
The pistol comes packed in a foam-lined plastic case and three back strap inserts.
So with all that good, what is the bad? One thing I need to do before I give this pistol my full blessing, is run it next to my other polymer pistols. Things can feel one way, and reflect differently on the clock. The size of the grip is an issue if you are over 6 feet tallish, and I wonder if a few layers of bicycle inner tube can fix that. As much as I liked the sights, I need some more time with them to address an issue. I and several others shot habitually low, about 3 inches at 25 yards. This could partially be learning curve with this pistol, or it could actually be sights that are dimensionally incorrect. It’s always best to assume the shooter is the weakest link, but this is something that needs more time to address.
I also noticed one other thing about the APX regarding the sight situation. With practically all new polymer-framed pistols being adapted to run optical sights, I took a close look at the APX in this context. I noted that the firing pin block protrudes through the top of the slide when the trigger is pressed; classic Beretta. The 92F features the same, and as an instructor I like it. You can see if your students are taking the slack out of the trigger before they press the shot from 5 yards away. In the APX, however, it presents a dilemma. I am not sure how they will be able to mill the slide down to mount a red dot, and a dovetail mount would prevent the firing pin block from moving out of the way. Beretta might have to get creative on this one. I will be curious to see what the solution will be. I have been promised my own test gun to try out at home, so keep an eye out for an even deeper hands-on review here in the near future.
Other Fun Stuff
On the sheer joy front, the Tac Summit also included an afternoon on ninja driving. This has nothing to do with firearms, but it is one of the most fun things you can do. When I left the Army, I assumed I would never get to go to another driving course, so this was a fantastic surprise. O’Gara employs some outstanding driving instructors, as good as I have ever seen. This was a writer’s event, so we didn’t get the full Department of State intercept and crash experience, but it was a blast. It is amazing how fast and agile the old-school Crown Vic with the police package performs. I teamed up with Guns & Ammo editor Eric Poole, who has played this game before as well, for my driving partner. Somehow we managed not to total our car, though one of us did skid off the track in a 720-degree turn.
The Steiner DBAL-PL is a dual purpose flashlight/ visible laser, and IR aiming laser/IR illuminator. Image courtesy of manufacturer.
Next on the list of cool stuff to play with was Steiner E-Optics. This division of Steiner has mostly played ball in the defense arena, and the price tag of what we used reflects that. I am assured however, that they are looking at similar technology in the near future that is palatable to the civilian market. Our night vision devices for the night shoot were AN/PVS-21 models, which have a staggering price point north of $20,000. They were certainly cool, though. Much more affordable was our pistol laser module, the Steiner DBAL-PL. It’s still not cheap, with a retail of $1,146.00, but you get a lot for that price. The unit is a dual purpose flashlight/ visible laser, and IR aiming laser/IR illuminator. For a tactical pistol module, this is pretty much perfect. The button on the right side activates the flashlight/aim laser, the button on the left does the IR. With a tiny bit of training, you are unlikely to have a white light accidental discharge, and you don’t have to worry about flipping switches in the heat of a gunfight to get the mode you want. If you are using your pistol in your green goggle fight, things have gone very badly. There is not a pressure pad activation option, but I liked how this worked out. The button on the module is perfectly placed to act like a gas pedal for your support hand thumb if you are right handed, and the module is small enough to not be a pain in the rear to carry around. Hog hunting with pistols is a blast, and this would be a great addition to your 10mm pig slayer. I have a hog hunt lined up later in the year, hopefully Steiner will support a field test of that theory.
Last but certainly not least, I finally got to shoot the Tikka T3x TAC A1. It was tragic, as I felt the amazing Tikka did not get nearly the respect it deserved. This is pretty normal for product releases like this; the precision rifles got shoehorned in at the end. And, we only had a 300-meter range, which is arguably a waste of 6.5 Creedmoor ammo. Still, the Tikka T3x was most of my motivation for trekking all the way across the country, as I have been foaming at the mouth to shoot this since SHOT Show (see our SHOT Show review of it here: https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/tikka-goes-full-tactical-t3x-tac-a1).
The author also had a chance to try out the Tikka T3x TAC A1 rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor and came away very impressed.
Our guns were set up with Steiner 20 power scopes, and I was also happy to learn Steiner has a Horus Reticle option. Super positive points to Steiner on this one, I wouldn’t dream of buying a scope without that option in the modern world. The Tikka shot fantastically. The trigger is user adjustable with 2-4 lbs. of pull, and I speculate ours were all set at the heavy end of that. The bolt is smooth as glass, even better than the model I handled at SHOT.
The author was able to wring out this ultra-tight group on the range with the Tikka.
Even with less than what I consider top-end precision ammo, my first three-shot, 100-meter group was ½ inch. My next three shots landed two on top of those, and one I shanked out for a total of a one-inch group of six shots. I don’t think we were anywhere near the full accuracy potential of that gun, both in terms of ammo choice and familiarity with the weapon. I am very excited to get one of these in for a full review, but I think my SHOT Show prediction will be true. The Tikka T3x TAC A1 is going to be one of the stories of the year, along with this new APX.
For more information, visit winthefight.com.
To purchase a Beretta pistol on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?T=beretta<id-all=1&as=730&cid=76&ns=0&numberperpage=50&.
I purchased the APX on impulse at the gun store one day. No remorse. It shoots very nice and it’s fun to shoot. I also use it now as my primary EDC, it is comfortable to carry. The trigger is also very nice. Not to downplay Glocks or XDs, but in my experience the APX is definitely in a class above. Get one. You won’t regret it.
I am a Marine Corps veteran, I have been oversea and I have put my trust in beretta and have used it in combat, so I have become partial to them. I believe that had they made the magazines to this pistol backwards Combatable to the m9 the us army wouldn’t be switching to SIG and probably the other branches as well. I have shot this pistol it’s awesome I love it. Glad my Friend got one so I could try it. But the truth is I’ve got 5 M9 style pistols and if I was to get this new APX (which came with 2 mags) I like to have at lest 5 mags for each pistol when I go to the range so there another $100. For some people that’s a turn off. And for the military too because that’s really expensive. I had hoped Beretta the oldest Firearms Manufacture world have taken the magazine into consideration.
Beretta builds a Springfield
I agree with those who say the polymer market is totally flooded and not much real new innovations being made but as for the ugly part how can ya say this pistol is a bit uglier than a Glock? I own several Glocks and several Springfield XD which I admit I shoot and carry most cause the trigger and grip angle just feel so much better on XD to me but if ya ask me none of the polymer pistols win a beauty contest with Glock being one of the most homely looking. Its the durability and dependability I thought we bought service pistols for. To me coatings,riflings,actions and weight etc that may really make me shoot better or save my butt someday matters to me otherwise I’d carry a beautiful and expensive 1911 if looks was so important to my EDC. If they was beautiful we wouldn’t be as likely to use them like there meant to be. If you carry one everyday its go n get all scratched up, wear marks from holster etc and that’s when there the best good and broke in, not on My mind but ready at any moment to protect me and my family! Just my opinions I guess some collect polymer guns but their are much better guns for collecting purposes.
I am happy we live in a country post 2016 election where we can own and use what we want.
I have four Glocks and have already ordered the Beretta APX – I love both – no new training. Identical controls.
The modular Chassis and choice of frame colors for 50 bucks a pop would have made Obama sick –
The serial number is on a part that can fit in a match box. REVEL IN IT & MAGA – //JI
I second that my friend!! MAGA!!
IS THAT A GUN OR AN AFTERBIRTH? HARD TO TELL!
Interesting
Ten years and couple 100 though rounds
If she’s good then I might put aside my glock30 for one in 45. It definitely looks nice now.time and ammo tells.
Couple 100000 rounds.
Hate auto correct
How do I purchase a fire arm from your company!
Go to GunsAmerica.com
Hmm. So Beretta has reinvented the Glock. While it’s undoubtedly a nice pistol, I have a Glock already (with about as much aftermarket fixes in it as I originally spent for it) and it’s really nice, I prefer both the Beretta M9 civilian version and the Taurus M-9 clone, even though I have to use the crappy ten round mags in both (California resident here).
Beretta makes fine metal pistols. Why they went to plastic (outside of weight savings) is a curiosity to me. Both my “M” pistols have Beretta’s parallel barrel system. This one has a drop link. Why?
I guess that Beretta feels it needs to compete in a market already saturated with plastic for some reason. Since just about anyone who makes pistols makes them out of plastic now, I’m concerned that Beretta is entering a market already at saturation levels with a product that is not sufficiently different from anybody else’s to matter. Color me under-impressed.
Pigs will fly, before that striker-fired, no safety having, fugly
glock clone ever manages to fart in the general direction of
replacing the M9 or 92FS. JUST NOT gonna happen.
UGLY.
My vote would have been for the S&W M&P. Nice looking gun and points well not like a Glock that points like a 2×4.
Suspect the new military pistol points like a Glock and yes I looks like it will be hard on holsters. Looks to me like
someone got sold a real bill of goods when they picked the new pistol. Kind of like when Obama got elected.
The SIG 320 already got the U.S. Military contract. Glock still dominates the LE market. The civilian market is inundated with new full-size striker fired pistols from Ruger, Remington, FN, CZ, Walther, etc. So, even if it is a great gun, who is going to buy it? I’ve got an idea, how about a Beretta revolver?
The fact so many polymer gun haters still exist in 2017 is a both amazing and a testament to Baby Boomers complete inability to comprehend the fact that\’s everything is not about/for them. If you don\’t like polymer guns, don\’t buy them and shut up already. Some people like them, but you do not have to.That said, Beretta did nothing new or innovative and has the worst customer service of a gun company I have ever dealt with. They will not respond to the purchaser, you have to take the defective item to the dealer and they have to send it in; then they ship the repaired/replaced item to the dealer and you get to make trip 2 to pick it up. They refused to even consider swapping something as simple as a magazine with me directly. I will never buy another thing from the arrogant jerks. Good luck if you buy a Beretta online. I guess you can wait 3 months for the dealer to ship the item, get the new item back and ship it to you. Think I am wrong? Call your dealer and ask them what they think of Beretta Service.
What happened to my paragraphs and what’s up with all of the goofy slashes? If you are going to post it, post it they way I wrote it.
Thank you.
The fact so many polymer gun haters still exist in 2017 is a both amazing and a testament to Baby Boomers complete inability to comprehend the fact that’s everything is not about/for them. If you don’t like polymer guns, don’t buy them and shut up already. Some people like them, but you do not have to.
That said, Beretta did nothing new or innovative and has the worst customer service of a gun company I have ever dealt with. They will not respond to the purchaser, you have to take the defective item to the dealer and they have to send it in; then they ship the repaired/replaced item to the dealer and you get to make trip 2 to pick it up. They refused to even consider swapping something as simple as a magazine with me directly. I will never buy another thing from the arrogant jerks. Good luck if you buy a Beretta online. I guess you can wait 3 months for the dealer to ship the item, get the new item back and ship it to you. Think I am wrong? Call your dealer and ask them what they think of Beretta Service.
The Beretta APX is innovative in the means that the portion that is considered the firearm is a removable modular chassis. The polymer grip is built up around the chassis and enables the purchaser/owner a single handgun to full fill a multitude of varying sizes (Standard, Centurian, & Compact) and common calibers. Additional polymer frames may be purchased through the Beretta website and Amazon. This modularity will allow the end user to change the colour, size, and modify or stipple the grip without having to potentially damage the actual receiver of the pistol. If one lives in a State or territory where purchasing a handgun is bureaucratically impossible, (i.e Chicago & Cook County Illinois, D.C., NYC, CA, MA, MD) then the innovation of Beretta is ingenious.
Thankfully Beretta is thinking outside of the Tupperware Box and not just regurgitating a 36 year old pistol by changing the texture of the grip to re-sale as a “new Generation”.
Oh look, another Glock… Gaston must be proud!
A striker fired pistol, yes Hugo Borchardt would be proud indeed that his Borchardt C93 pistol design is still working more than a century and a quarter later. I am sure in the same way that Eli Whitney would be proud that the world has fully adopted mass producing interchangeable parts.
Gaston Glock copied the Roth-Steyr and Roth-Sauer, which was produced after the FN Browning model 1900.
The “safe action pistol” was first designed and produced by Smith & Wesson Lemon Squeezer .32 revolver, produced in 1887.
Metallic Cased Cartridges was by a Swiss inventor Jean Samuel Pauly in the mid 19th century.
Polymer Pistols was first fully produced by H&K in 1970, 12 years before Glock.
Never let the facts get in the way of the myth that Gaston Glock is some sort of gun god.
The Beretta APX may be a great functional fantastic beast but I’ll never buy a gun that’s so damn butt ugly. Fugly even! Just about as fugly as the Ruger American. I wouldn’t buy that either!
And nothing against Beretta. I own a PX4 9mm and love it, not to mention daily carry of an M9 in Iraq.
Still, call me shallow if you want, but looks do mean something. A gun makers job is (shockingly) to sell guns. So many great ones these days out that function flawlessly. What’s left is how the gun looks or how it makes you feel. Good luck with this ugly duckling…
NICE LOOKING GUN (S). NICE REVIEW. BUT THIS IS MY THINKING; GLOCK IS MY EDC. AR 15 (M4) IS MY “IF I HAVE TO” LONG GUN. IN THE WORST OF EVENTS AND SITUATIONS I’D WANT TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE BATTLEFIELD FODDER TO REPLENISH MY HARDWARE AND AMMO DEFICIENCIES. GLOCKS AND AR’S. DAMN NEAR EVERYBODY HAS THOSE. HAVE A NICE DAY
Lets hope Beretta is not as arrogant as Herr Glock and makes the pistol available with a manual safety. Many people including myself do not buy striker fired guns without a manual safety. I have seen way too many accidents with them. That is why my Glock 19 has a manual safety installed. I would not handle or carry it without a manual safety.
Can I get an AMEN brother!
Could I have my Glock D42 manual safety installed.
I don’t see thie APX “killing” the M9, or any other Beretta offering. The 9mm striker fired pistol market is strong, so it makes sense for Beretta to have an entry in it. Only question is why they waited so long to do so. That said, there are still enough of us who prefer our autos to have hammers.
you couldn’t give me one
Please send all the free Berettas to me, I have a warm home for them.
Nice review, thanks for the data. Everyone else can say all they like about the new pistol. Maybe twenty years ago if there had been a serious problem with the “new plastic” guns, this trend would have had a chance of stopping. For all those who can’t, won’t or don’t change, relax. It doesn’t make you an instant Democrat.
Here’s what intrigues me. And someone please get busy and invent this, please? I followed this article down to the last bit about shooting the Tikka and noticed the right hand hold the author had. Must have been practicing his trigger prior to inserting the mag. See the thumb on the right side of the receiver? I shoot that way myself. What’s the deal with making a little shelf on the right side for the thumb? Seems like a no brainer. That way you could bring up the angle of the pistol grip, even close off the dreaded thumbhole. As we all know now, the thumbhole is the key ingredient that rampaging assaulters need when mowing down thousands of innocents. See? I just saved countless lives!
Maybe it’ll grow on me but to my eyes it looks like the bastard child of a Glock and a Remington 887.
It’s a Glock… Big deal….
Would it really have been so difficult to make the gun use an existing magazine? They had the 92 mags, then had to have a PX4 mag, now this one has a slightly different one, so more mags to buy. I have noticed its usually only a very small change, just enough you have to go buy a whole new stack mags. Change the slot for the mag catch and old surplus M9 mags work in my browning HP. Swap the followers and a Beretta 96 mag works in my CZ75. I have this tool bag filled to the brim with various magazines. Most of them you have to look at to know what it goes in since they are pretty much the same except the follower or where the mag catch goes. But I guess the idea is to try and lock you into a brand.
But oh yet another polymer striker fired gun. You know what would be a real novelty, a hammer on the back of a semi auto?
When will the .32 Tomcat be back in production, need to buy one for my lady who finds it hard to rack an auto and the trigger on the .38 I bought her to heavy.
Get her a KelTec P32. I’ve had one for several years with no telling how many rounds downrange. Never so much as a hiccup. I usually carry it as a BUG. Put some Underwood Xtreme Defense in the Mag and she should be good to go.
Basically we see another manufacturer admitting that Glocks are great pistols. We see so many “New” pistols which are so close to Glocks that it would be hard to tell the difference in the dark.
Actually, it looks like a fotocopy of a Springfield XD
That was my first thought: Springfiled XD mod 2.
Sir:
Just to comment, my carry gun is the Baretta and I love it. This new APX 9mm Striker is awesome. On my wish list now and will have my own soon. You failed to list the suggested retail price!
John
Reading is fundamental.
SPECS
Chambering: 9mm (.40 S&W available soon)
Barrel: 4.25 inches
OA Length: 7.5 inches
Weight: 26.8 ounces
Grips: Polymer, integral
Sights: Three-dot, white
Action: Striker fired
Finish: Matte-black
Capacity: 17+1 (9mm)
MSRP: $575
You carry a Beretta and don’t know how to spell the name.
What happened to the pride of craftsmanship? Steel, wood, etc. These plastic pistols are so cheesy-feeling in my hand, with strange multi-trigger doo-dads and generally just all black. I have a Sig P220 in .45 acp in all stainless steel. It has a proper hammer on it that I can cock and nice, crisp trigger that I could have tuned if I feel so inclined. I can even put beautiful redwood grips on it and carry it in a proper, russet brown leather holster instead of something that looks like it came out of the dollar store’s toy aisle. These new striker-fired plastic guns just take the whole soul out of the whole thing. They just leave me flat. Maybe that’s why so many manufacturers are also making 1911s these days, to try and keep some of that soul alive. That’s next on my list.
Am I the only one who likes a hammer on a gun? I definitely would not trade my M9 for one of these. The success of the Glock has perhaps changed people’s perspective, but the look and feel of a gun are big factors to me in my buying decisions and these “Plastic Perils” have none of that. If you just want a functional tool, they have their merits, but who buys a car just because they want to get from A-B.
The other problem I see with Striker fired guns is that in the hands of certain people they are much more likely to be fired “accidentally”.
OK, I’m old-fashioned, and likely perceived as a crochety gaffer in some circles. That said, I don’t like DA, I haven’t since I first tried it on a revolver. I want a hammer I can haul back, not a frame I have to rack, I don’t care if you’re Wyatt Earp, racking a gun gets you shot with a hammer gun by an old fart like me.
Then there’s the plastic lower. In colours, no less. Words fail me. Actually, they don’t, the phrase nancy-boy comes to mind. I’ll stick with my Hi-Power, thank you very much.
One of the biggest factors in firearms today is marketing. Madison Avenue can sell the public anything.!!!!!!
The APX is just another striker-fired, polymer-framed, modular handgun. Move along, nothing new to see here.
Yes the M9 is dead, the Sig P320 killed it! Beretta is very late to the game and I don’t see any military contracts in their future, hooray!
No the M9 is NOT dead. Just because the military foolishly chose the Sig P320 in no way means that he Beretta 92 is dead. Its still one of the best 9mm pistols ever made. The Sig P320 is a nice gun but I don’t see the military ever using the modularity of it. They will buy a bunch of the full size version and never swap out the frame to a different size
Well the M9 will be phased out eventually unless there are unforeseen problems with the Sig. I don’t understand the “modularity” sales pitch either. Some, but not all branches of the military let you stick with a certain pistol. You just get the next pistol on the rack when you need it. Beretta really messed up here. If they came out with this pistol a year or two ago AND designed it to take M9 mags, they might have beat out Sig.
It almost makes me think that Beretta didn’t want the military contract, perhaps it’s not as profitable or prestigious as perceived. They have put a lot of store in simplicity of use with the M9 replacement, but if you can’t train your service people to use an M9, I can see them having problems with accidental discharges with a striker fired SIG. In general if the pistol is of the same dimensions I see no advantage to Polymer over a one made from metal for my purposes. I really like the de-cocker and safety set up on the M9. If I’m going to carry a full size semi Auto I’d much rather it be an M9, a Hipower or a 1911 over this or any of the plastic pistols, I like some sort of style to my handguns and they just don’t have any. It’s like wearing coveralls and work boots because they are really comfortable instead of the clothes that appeal to you. Function should always outweigh Form, but in a firearm you can have both.
Not stated here, but on other web sites, is that one of the holes on the right side of the plastic frame, contains a little button you can depress with a ball point pen, that will decock the striker, enabling disassembly without pulling the trigger. Or you can just make sure the damn gun is properly unloaded before attempting anything so perilous as taking it apart for regular cleaning. Pulling the trigger is still quicker, and a wee bit more satisfying. I would venture to suggest that not too many people well over six feet tall were involved in the design process, as Italians tend to a lower average height. It might need a redesigned large grip insert to make taller people with large hands happy.
so your 1 of those 1 size fits all type, Sig was the only company that showed up prepared and with a handgun that exceeded all specifications. All the modular parts are free per contract and will be fitted to your hand and style.
Wow, they sold you, didn’t they??
Yeah, that “best” break apart and rip your face pistol sure is a winner.
Sorry, I was there, I saw it, and I would never own one just for that.
No other pistol EVER had THAT issue.
“Best” my ass.
Alan, are you talking about the cracking and the rear of the Beretta 92 slide coming off by chance. If you are why not tell the whole story about how it happened and why it happened. Now I wasn’t at the trials when they was testing the hand guns but I was working for Beretta at the time of the trials. I was there when the Army was sued by Beretta and the Army lost the law suit for what they did in the trials to the model 92 .
I have read the actual paperwork from the lawsuit and the judge sided with Beretta saying that the Army caused the cracking of the slide by using very hot powered ammo the same ammo that is used to test the hand gun for cracks after firing one shot only and then its checked with a magnaflux dye, where as the Army fired a magazine full of that same ammo and that is when the slide cracked and came apart.
Because of that Beretta modified the grip panel and the hammer pin so that if it should ever happpen again the slide could not come off the back of that gun.
Now these are the facts as I experience them, as I said earlier I wasn’t at the trials but the facts of the lawsuit speaks for itself.
Now Alan if you aren’t talking about the Beretta 92 please excuse my ramblings about the Beretta hand gun.
JD Hall
Exactly.
The M9 /92FS will not be a forgotten pistol. I carried one in the middle east for two tours. Wiped it out when I could and never had a problem. Shot well worn examples on the range for 10 years. Always put it in the 10 ring at 25yds. Never had a problem making a big ragged hole with DA/SA drills and Magazine drills at 15 and 7 yards. It’s a BIG 9mm. We all know that. That’s why I have a Centurion(And an M9 just for nostalgia). You’d be hard pressed to find a smoother running pistol than this design. Even my Wife (who I bought a G19 because she liked it) prefers the smoothness and ease of the slide rack on the Beretta. I love shooting my Colt 1911s. But in the Beretta, with 19rds of 147gr JHP, I don’t even need to bring an extra mag.
The title and first lines should have been, “First PAINFUL Look at Beretta’s New Striker-Fired APX 9mm.” “ANOTHER Butt-Ugly piece of cheap Plastic Pistol. The Beretta artisans must finally be aware that the ‘Bean-Counters’ are now in charge.”
Well polymer pistols have been around for 40 years, I have an early 80s Glock that still shoots great.. but I have to agree this Beretta looks ugly to me. Those slide reverse serrations might be hard on holsters, wonder if it slows down drawing the weapon?
When you start molding things in plastic and designing them with computers everyone ends up with a product that basically looks the same. It’s like cars, if you design it for maximum interior space,trunk capacity and fuel mileage, you end up with the same body shape as everyone else. There’s nothing wrong with Plastic guns, I have some myself, but for pride of ownership and satisfaction, nothing beats wood and metal, it’s a bit like owning a classic vehicle, but the difference is you lose nothing in performance by owning a “classic” gun and you can still have the style.